Fall 2014 First Year Seminars

Choose a course to view details about it and to find out who the professor will be!

FSEM 100-01 (CRN 4618) Energy and the Environment

One of the most important challenges facing the world in the twenty-first century is to identify and develop sustainable sources of energy in order to maintain a reasonable standard of living while also minimizing our impact on the environment. This seminar will discuss the science of energy production and usage for a variety of energy sources and energy conservation strategies, and also examine the environmental advantages and drawbacks of each source or strategy. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill into the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 and the nuclear disaster in Japan after the earthquake and tsunami of 2011 illustrate just some of the dangers underlying our current energy production portfolio. The science regarding the challenge of global climate change will also be discussed. While the seminar is discussion based and writing intensive, students will be introduced to the basic physical principles and skills necessary to understand the issues involved in energy systems and sustainability, including physical units conversion and problem solving techniques. The course will also include course blog postings and discussion of topics of current interest regarding energy and environmental issues found in the popular press.

Your Professor

Kevin Riggs holds a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Minnesota and specializes in research on magnetic materials useful for magnetic recording and information storage. He also holds an M.S. in Physics/Musical-acoustics from Case Western Reserve University and has an active research program using laser-based holographic techniques to image the vibration patterns of musical instruments. He teaches many advanced courses for physics majors, but especially enjoys interacting with students from a wide range of backgrounds in his general education course on musical acoustics titled "The Science of Music" and his new first-year seminar titled "Energy and the Environment." In his spare time, Riggs enjoys playing guitar in a Stetson University faculty jazz quartet, the "Thin Film Magnetism."

FSEM 100-02 (CRN 4619) Writing for the Health of It

Is writing good for your health? Many writers describe their creative process as a sort of spiritual practice from which they gain insight. And many of us have experienced the way we can write our way to answers in our lives and discover our inner wisdom. Numerous fictional works explore illness- are writers drawing from their related experiences and instinctively moving themselves toward wellness when they write? Is it that same impulse that drives others to keep journals and diaries or turn their troubles into poems? Scientific studies on the impact of writing on health- both emotional and physical- show remarkable results, supporting what those who love to read and write have known all along: the written word is powerful medicine. Where do writing, spirituality, and wellness meet? This course explores that intersection through a variety of texts, discussion, and written responses. In addition, students will learn the sort of writing that has been found to be healing and have the opportunity to experience its potential through journaling and creative writing. This course includes a service-learning component, in which students will perform some tasks off-campus in our local community.

Your Professor

Gail Radley, a lecturer in the English Department, received her B.A. in Independent Studies with an emphasis in creative writing from Mary Baldwin College and her M.A. in English from Stetson. Besides journaling and dabbling in poetry, she is the author of 21 books for children and young adults, as well as various articles and short stories for adults. One of these, "Writing With the Ink of Light on the Tablet of the Spirit," a paper Radley presented at the annual Writing and Wellness Conference, was published in Writing and Wellness Connections (Evans: Idyll Arbor, 2010).

This course explores various conceptions of what it is to be human-and what it is to be viewed as less than human (thus, a freak). Academics label such outcast status "otherness." Fundamentally, to be 'other' is to be different from the norm. Indeed, in viewing human beings as persons with dignity and worth, we often exclude those we view as different as not deserving of equal treatment. In order to come to an understanding of what we as a society value, however, we must understand otherness. And it is only by deconstructing difference, by understanding what constitutes the 'other' and how it is defined by the in-group, that we can ultimately become a truly multicultural and diverse community. Deconstructing difference promotes awareness of diverse peoples by deconstructing the concept of the 'other' and the role it plays in fostering fear and discrimination. In order best to understand how discrimination works, its historical and literary origins in western culture, its enduring conceptual power, and its pervasive presence in modern America, we intend to pursue a multilevel analysis. This course will begin with an examination of prejudice in Harry Potter's world, then turn to classical Greek origins of identity and the concept of otherness, and finish with a deconstruction of contemporary attitudes toward the various '-isms.' The class aims to embolden students to reconsider the significance of contemporary models of the human, as supplied by various religious, scientific, philosophical, and pop-cultural sources.

Your Professor

Susan Peppers-Bates, Ph.D., attended Davidson College as an undergraduate and received her Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Pennsylvania in 2000. She has published on figures in early modern philosophy, topics in the philosophy of religion, friendship in Harry Potter, and on existentialist vampires. She has two fabulous daughters, Anne-Marie (8) and Sophia (3). She is fond of science fiction, medieval murder mysteries, gardening, and all things philosophical.

FSEM 100-09 (CRN 4626) The Search for Wisdom

You don't tug on Superman's cape. You don't spit into the wind. (Jim Croce)

A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing personal opinion. (Proverbs)

Never insult an alligator until after you have crossed the river. (Cordell Hull)

Ancient seekers of wisdom believed that there was meaning in human existence. If you found the rhythms of life, success followed. Other thinkers were less positive. No matter how hard you try, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and sometimes you get sucker-punched! As did the sages of old, students will enter the ageless quest for wisdom. We'll explore the traditions of the ancient Near East including that of the biblical texts. We'll look to wisdom traditions within world religions and consider contemporary expression of wisdom themes. The worldview of wisdom, as a social movement and as language and literature, will provide students a blueprint for developing their own guide for finding meaning in life. This course includes a weekly success lab.

Your Professor

Kandy Queen-Sutherland holds the Sam R Marks Chair of Religion. Her courses focus on the literature of the Bible, particularly Hebrew Scriptures and often grow out of the interplay of biblical texts and issues of social justice. Before coming to Stetson, she taught on a theological faculty in Switzerland. Her love of international travel continues at Stetson through the offering of travel courses to Greece and Turkey as well as the Middle East. She enjoys being the mother of a Stetson student, living on a dirt road, volunteering at the Neighborhood Center, and downtown DeLand on Friday evenings.

What does the term "individual" mean apart from "the community"? What does "community" mean apart from the concept of "the individual"? This seminar will explore the relationship between these two concepts with a view to understanding how the community shapes the individual and how the individual can, and should, shape the community. We will think about issues pertaining to social justice and ask what responsibility the individual has for her or his own formation and what responsibility the individual has for the formation and well being of the community. Service learning in the community is central to this exploration.

Your Professor

After earning his B.A. from Stetson University, Greg Sapp went on to earn an M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary and the Ph.D. in Philosophical Theology from the University of Virginia. He is particularly interested in the formation of Christian thought and doctrine. He has published articles and presented papers in the fields of doctrinal development, historical philosophy and theology, and religion and culture. His latest work is in the area of sports and religion. He returned to Stetson in 2006 and holds the Hal S. Marchman Chair of Civic and Social Responsibility. He comes to us most recently from Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, where he was awarded the 2005 Spencer B. King Distinguished Faculty Award. He has taught first-year seminars for 12 years now.

FSEM 100-14 (CRN 4631) Kitchen Chemistry

This seminar takes a scientific approach to cooking and explores the chemistry of foods and the various techniques employed in gastronomy. We will begin by exploring how early humans gradually changed their eating habits. We will then focus on the nature of various foods, how they are made, and why they are made in that way in various international cuisines. We will also try to understand why and when specific culinary habits began. A hands-on approach will be taken, in which experiments will be carried out to answer questions such as," Can you taste foods if you simultaneously hold your nose?" and, "Is there a remedy to over salted soup?"

Your Professor

Ramee Indralingam started teaching at Stetson University after she received a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from the University of Florida. She teaches general chemistry, analytical chemistry, and instrumental analysis. She has also taught forensic chemistry in the Honors Program at Stetson. She is interested in determining the volatile and medicinal components of herbs and spices, and in developing new and innovative lab experiments for the curriculum. A recent success was in developing a technique to determine the amount of iron in the yolk of an egg. She carries out her research with the collaboration of chemistry and biochemistry majors.

FSEM 100-16 (CRN 4633) The West in Question

It is impossible to read a newspaper, surf the Internet, or watch the nightly news without hearing how "western values" are under assault. Chinese economic might, Islamic terrorism, Russian imperialism-the so-called "West" faces numerous challenges. Such challenges are hardly new, of course. From the Thirty Years War and The French Revolution to the Holocaust and the Cold War, "Westerners" have debated, fought, and even killed each other in the name of "freedom", "equality", "nation", "democracy," and "Judeo-Christian" values. By analyzing major questions in Modern European History, this First Year Seminar will inquire whether "The West" possesses a coherent set of values and whether those values continue to have relevance at the outset of the twenty-first century. This course includes a weekly success lab.

Your Professor

Eric Kurlander, Professor of Modern European History, studied at Bowdoin College (BA) and Harvard University (MA, PhD) before coming to Stetson in 2001. His most recent book (co-edited with Joanne Miyang Cho and Douglas McGetchin), Transcultural Encounters between Germany and India: Kindred Spirits in the 19th and 20th Centuries (Routledge, 2013), looks at the history of German-Indian relations in the spheres of culture, politics, and intellectual life. His last book, Living With Hitler: Liberal Democrats in the Third Reich (Yale University Press, 2009), examines the ways in which German liberals negotiated, resisted, and in some ways accommodated the Third Reich. His first book, The Price of Exclusion: Ethnicity, National Identity, and the Decline of German Liberalism, 1898-1933, appeared in 2006. He has published articles in leading journals, including Central European History, German History, and The Journal of Contemporary History, and held research and writing fellowships from the Fulbright Foundation; Alexander von Humboldt Foundation; the German Historical Institute; the German Academic Exchange Service; the Krupp Foundation; and Harvard University's Program for the Study of Germany and Europe. His current projects include a textbook, The West in Question: Continuity and Change (Pearson-Longman, 2014), an edited volume (with Monica Black), The Nazi Soul Between Science and Religion: Revisiting the Occult Roots and Legacies of Nazism. (Camden House, 2015), and a monograph, Hitler's Monsters: A Supernatural History of the Third Reich (Yale, 2016). In his free time, Kurlander enjoys parenting, reading, travel, sports, and popular culture.

FSEM 100-21 (CRN 4638) American Freedom in Action

Free speech, freedom of religion, freedom from unreasonable search and seizure, due process of law- commonly recognized terms, but what do they mean in practice? Using public schools as our backdrop, we will examine American freedom by reading and discussing exciting legal cases with primary focus on U.S. Supreme Court decisions. Can students protest? Pray? Advocate illegal behavior? Be strip searched? Can a school post the Ten Commandments? Censor student publications? Teach intelligent design alongside evolution? Compel students to accept diversity? Ban the expression of uncomfortable ideas?

We also consider the inevitable conflict between the twin pillars of the American experience: freedom and democracy. When individual freedoms clash with the desires of the majority, how are we to referee the disagreement? Should the majority always rule? Are there instances where one's individual rights are so important that it does not matter what the majority believe? Where do we draw the line between individual liberties and majority rule? Anyone who is considering a career in law, education, religion, politics- or who is passionate about liberty- will enjoy this hands-on study of America's experience in defining individual freedom while preserving democratic order.

Your Professor

Glen Epley has been a sportswriter, high school history teacher, professor at three universities, deputy superintendent of a 55,000 student school district, and a senior executive for the world's 8th largest insurance brokerage. He is currently Professor and Chair of the Department of Teacher Education at Stetson where he teaches graduate courses in school law and school finance. He has published his research on separation of church and state, due process in student discipline, censorship in schools, legal issues of child abuse, teachers and tort liability, in loco parentis, educational malpractice, and the constitutional rights of parents. He earned his Ph.D. from Duke University.

The course includes an examination of American history in terms of the environmental features of often-familiar events. The great achievements of American civilization have included, in effect, a grand experiment on the landscape, with a whole range of results for good and ill. After learning how we have developed toward our present relationship with the environment, students will then learn inventive suggestions about next steps and do guided research for putting forth their own proposals. In short, this class grapples with The Three Whats: what has happened (in the human relation with the environment); so what (why should we care?); and now what (what's the next step?).

Your Professor

Paul Croce, Ph.D., has been interested in nature since he was a child; as a little kid, he loved animals, wanted to learn about them, and got upset at the rising number of extinctions. As an adult, he has become concerned not only about the current fate of the natural world, but also about the way people with different ideologies talk right past each other rather than find solutions on what to do. As a researcher, he has written on the impact of science and religion on our views of nature, and on ways to conciliate cultural and political differences (especially as these ideas show up in the work of American psychologist William James). As a professor in the interdisciplinary field of American Studies, he is committed to hearing out different values and enlisting different disciplines for finding paths to environmental health. No matter each student's field of interest, he is committed in fostering environmental awareness-a value in itself, and big plus to countless individual career goals.

FSEM 100-26 (CRN 4967) Medicines, Drugs and Toxins

In modern society, individuals are bombarded with information about chemical compounds and their impact on human health and well-being. This information about compounds such as pharmaceuticals, drugs, environmental toxins, and nutritional supplements, is often difficult for people to interpret or understand. Sometimes, the scientific basis of such information is wrong or even purposefully misleading. In this course, students will explore the impact of selected chemical compounds on human health. Discussions will focus on the use of both man-made and natural compounds, investigating both their beneficial and harmful effects on individuals and society. Students will also explore how various classes of chemical compounds are viewed by people in our society and how these views are affected by social, political, and economic factors. Some topics to be discussed include: Drugs and Medicines; Poisons and Toxins; Foods and Nutrients; DNA and Genetic Testing/Modification.

Your Professor

John York received a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from North Carolina State University and worked for the DuPont chemical company in New Jersey. After realizing that teaching was his true calling in life, he obtained a degree in Secondary Science Education from the University of Wyoming, followed by a Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry from the University of Minnesota. York teaches a variety of chemistry classes at Stetson, ranging from introductory General Chemistry to advanced classes like Biological Inorganic Chemistry. He is very interested in research involving the chemistry of metals in biological systems and in industrial processes, and actively recruits undergraduate students to participate in this research. In addition, York is always working to develop new and better ways for teaching chemistry to undergraduate students. In his spare time, York likes to play music with several other Stetson professors and spend time with his wife and three sons.

FSEM 100-27 (CRN 4968) Social, Spiritual Intelligence

Can u raed this? Do you bilvee ptassinaloey in the pweor of iedas to cnaghe ateitudts, lveis and umtillaety, the wrlod? If so, you may wish to ponder over why so many life-changing ideas are ignored or downright rejected in the world. We agree that humans are rational, intelligent beings, but why do we often act against our intelligence? To what degree do we live our lives in an economically, socially, emotionally, and spiritually thoughtless manner? Is it possible that despite our intellectual dominance, we live like goslings imprinting upon the first role model (economically, socially, emotionally, and spiritually) that we come across, blindly following it to the death of our human intelligence? Students registering for this course will read and analyze books in economics, psychology, sociology, and religious studies to contemplate these questions and more. However, as you prepare to think outside the box, be wary of jumping into the frying pan.

Your Professor

Ranjini Thaver was born and raised like a gosling in South Africa. She completed her B.A. degree in Economics and Psychology at the University of Durban-Westville, a B.A. (Hons.) degree in Economics at the University of Cape Town, and then completed her M.A. and Ph.D. in Economics at the University of Notre Dame. She has taught at Stetson since 1992 and co-created the AFS program and developed the first university-based microcredit program in the world. This program is located in poverty-stricken Spring Hill in Deland, and in a small village in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. She has also teamed up with organizations such as the United Way, the FDIC, and the IRS to offer business development workshops and personal finance classes to low-income families. She has taught courses in Economics, Africana Studies, Women and Gender Studies, and the Honors Program.

FSEM 100-30 (CRN 4979) Healthy Religion & Sick Religion

This course will help you think intelligently about religion and its role in today's world. Religion serves both to heal and empower and to promote violence in the name of God. We will examine key topics including religion and self-transformation, religion and violence, and freedom of religion as a human right. The class is organized as a seminar, meaning that during most classes we sit around a table and discuss assigned readings and films. You are actively engaged in discussions, debates, presentations, and questioning. You will enhance your ability to make professional oral presentations and to write with clarity and persuasiveness. You also will refine your ability to think critically so that you can discern whether an argument rests on solid evidence or not. Religion has long been a controversial topic in human life. Wars have been fought over religious disagreements. In this class we examine religion's power to heal and transform lives, and to divide, oppress, and destroy. Finally, we examine why freedom of religion is considered a universal human right and why that right is often under siege in the contemporary world.

Your Professor

Phillip Lucas, Professor of Religious Studies, enjoys teaching, spirituality, baseball, India, guitars, travel to sacred sites around the world, and gardening. He received his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of California at Santa Barbara and has published four books and numerous articles in the fields of new and minority religions, religious freedom, comparative spirituality, and American religious history. He is regularly interviewed in newspapers and television news, and is the founding General Editor of Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions. This academic publication is the leading international journal in the field of new and minority religions. At Stetson he teaches courses on world religions, American religious history, comparative spirituality, and new religions. He received the William Hugh McEniry Award for excellence in teaching from Stetson in 2002 and the Homer and Dolly Hand Award for Excellence in Scholarship in 1995 and 2007. In 2011, he became university director of the First-Year Seminar program at Stetson. He has lived and/or traveled in India, Nepal, Taiwan, Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, Central America, and Canada.

FSEM 100-37 (CRN 4993) Diversity in the 21st Century Classroom

In this course we will examine the meaning of diversity and its relation to global education. Through literature and film, we will discuss the broad definition of diversity, focusing on the study of race, ethnicity, language, gender, social class, sexual orientation, religion, and emotional and physical disabilities. All students will use field placements in local schools or non-profit organizations to provide practical experiences that will illuminate our class's major concepts.

Your Professor

Bette Heins holds the Nina B. Hollis Chair of Educational Reform in the Department of Teacher Education. She directs the Hollis Institute for Educational Reform and teaches educational psychology, exceptional student education, and classroom management. Her research interests include single gender education, reading issues, and classroom management. She loves teaching about diversity in the classroom and, in her words, "celebrates deviancy on a daily basis."

FSEM 100-40 (CRN 5089) Water & Life

This seminar will sample the interplay of culture, science, environment, power, politics, literature, business, an the myriad other ways that human lives intertwine with Water and Life. Topics will be chosen by student members of the seminar. Topics for consideration could include: Water as Sacred; Water and Disease; Melting Ice; Water and Politics; Water and Literature; Water and History; Restoring Ecosystems; Water and Energy; Sustainable Clean Water; Water and Climate Change; Aquifers and Groundwater; Impacts of development on water resources; Urban water quality; Coastal water resources management; Ocean management; and many other possibilities.

Your Professor

Derek Barkalow, Ph.D., grew up in, under, and on the waters and beaches of Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, Block Island, Montauk Point, and the Jersey shore. A sojourn to the Midwest for college allowed new experiences in and around the Great Lakes. Barkalow has taken Stetson students to the Caribbean and various local lakes, rivers and beaches in central Florida. A member of Stetson's Biology faculty, he has explored many diverse academic arenas including a recently developed junior seminar on the "Future of Human Health & Welfare."

Why do we throw babies off the side of temples to awaiting families? Why do we put our hands in gloves filled with stinging ants? Why do we physically alter our bodies with specific markings or piercings? Why do we prepare to watch athletic events with dances, arm gestures, elaborate costumes and ceremonies? Why do some groups express reverence for the sacred with ecstatic dances and others with meditation and silence? ARE WE JUST NUTS OR ARE WE REMARKABLY HUMAN? This course will examine our habits, customs and traditions: THE RITUAL OF OUR LIVES. You will examine the nature of rituals of many cultures and how they compare and contrast in their explanation of the Circle of Life. Finally, we will critically examine whether or not rituals are outdated, need to be replaced, or no longer have value for contemporary life. Let's find out together. This course includes a weekly success lab.

Your Professor

Michael Fronk, the University Chaplain, is a graduate of Stetson University where he received his B.A. in Religious Studies. He received his M. Div. from Southern Seminary. His special expertise is in the area of changing expressions of death rituals in America where he continues to be a national speaker, writer and consultant. This has lead him to embrace the faith practices of cultures that are not his own and to encourage students to find excitement in the meaningful journey of people who do not share their history. He is known for his ability to find humor in the quest to be human and believes that truth and self discovery happens in the most unlikely places.

FSEM 100-48 (CRN 5242) The Anxiety of Identity

I think therefore I am... I think? Our identity, we wish to believe, is housed in our control over our thoughts, in the choices and memories we have made. What does it mean, then, when someone else takes control of my "I"? Even scarier, what happens when I cannot avoid this "I," and "I" takes me places where I don't want to go? Art often taunts this anxiety, teasing us with competing concepts of the self that shake the stability of identity. That "I" scams people (me, too!), commits crimes, stalks victims. All the while, I uncomfortably enjoy the alienating experience. In this course, we will concentrate on analyzing literature and films which use this "I" to question the stability of the self. We will explore novels and short stories, mystery and horror films that creatively manipulate first-person narration for different, subversive purposes. This course includes a weekly success lab.

Your Professor

Nicole Denner, Ph.D., attended Indiana University for her undergraduate and master's degree, and received her Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Northwestern University. She studied horror films at IU and eighteenth-century Enlightenment literature for her doctorate (they aren't so different after all). She has taught at Stetson since 2001 in both the French and English departments. She is most interested in how and why texts so frequently turn inward and comment upon themselves.

FSEM 100-49 (CRN 5243) Food, Health, and Controversy

What does food mean to you? In this course we will have lively discussions about food (fast, organic, wild, vegan, and food stuffs, among others). What do we need to know to make thoughtful choices about food? How does popular culture influence what food we purchase and consume? What affects our perceptions of what is healthy or nutritious? In our exploration of food, ideas of nutrition and our personal and community health will be discussed. What role does society and science play in our pursuit of health and wellness goals? How are we situated in the culture of food and society, and not just in the science of nutrition? This course also includes a required service-learning component in which students will work with a community partner to better understand food production. Together, we will endeavor to discover what options we have for taking action to address food-related issues in our own lives.

Your Professor

Tara Schuwerk earned an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Human Communication from Arizona State University with specializations in health and intercultural communication and qualitative research methods. She has a passion for understanding how people perceive and construct ideas of health, specifically in the area of food and nutrition. At Stetson University, she is an assistant professor of communication and media studies, and integrative health science.

Regardless of political orientation, class, nationality (or any perspective that informs a worldview), everyone is in agreement that something is wrong with the "system." As we examine a wide range of historical reform figures and their strategies to effect social and institutional change (i.e., Lycurgus, Cicero, Gandhi, Assange), you will work to emulate and/or adapt these models to achieve some degree of measurable civic improvement, either in a local or national context. Given this purpose, your success in the course will depend, at least partly, on the written, verifiable impact you have. For example, for every meaningful email response you receive (from city/county leaders) or for any published letter to the editor, you will receive credit. All non-violent political perspectives (and agendas) are welcome. Significant research is required, with a portfolio that consists of your accumulated research, communications, and action narratives which, taken together, argue for your overall ability to persuade others of your point of view.

Your Professor

While intermittently working on his graduate degrees (Clemson, M.A., English; University of South Carolina, Ph.D., Composition and Rhetoric), Michael Barnes taught, wrote and traveled in the Far East, calling Tokyo home for four years. Tenured at Stetson University in 2006, his current research interests focus on computer-facilitated empirical studies on academia via overlooked institutional artifacts (textbooks, internal communiques and so forth). Pedagogically a sophist, most of his courses push students to "argue both sides equally well."

FSEM 100-52 (CRN 5266) Us & Them: Human and Un-Human

What does it mean to be human? Or, more specifically, how does 'my brand of humanity' compare to that of others? Since the dawn of humanity, groups of people have constructed norms, ideals, values, attitudes, and behaviors that distinguish those considered the right and proper people from those who are not quite ideal but who are tolerated, finally from those whose presence, or even whose very existence is considered anathema. Over the millennia, this construction of the human ideal has been translated into misogyny and sexism, racism and slavery, heterosexism and homophobia, and, at its very worst, genocide.

Us and Them promotes awareness and value of diverse peoples by deconstructing the concept of the 'other' and the role it plays in fostering fear and discrimination. Our primary goal throughout the semester is to gain a better understanding of how the concept of humanity is constructed and the ways that those who are different are excluded from that construction by taking a historic approach, starting with the Greco-Roman construct of humanity, and continuing on into modern times. With that understanding we will learn to see past the veil of culturally-accepted biases and prejudices, and gain the ability to "re-construct" those groups that have been historically written out of humanity.

Your Professor

Kimberly Flint-Hamilton is department chair and professor of sociology and anthropology. She has taught at Stetson University for fifteen years. Her research areas include the construct of humanity in the Homeric world and the search for justice and humanity in the modern United States.

FSEM 100-54 (CRN 5370) Modern Global Societies

The opening decades of the twenty-first century have taken on a character that goes beyond national borders, cultural distinctions or geographical isolation. Increasingly, every aspect of society is interconnected. It can be confusing to try and follow how rising rice prices in China affect German industrial output, or how drought in Australia impacted the polar vortex of 2014, which in turn impacts human rights in south Asia. This seminar is designed to acquaint you with the basic fundamentals of modern global societies. To do this, you will learn something about modern global politics, economics, religion, environmental, social and human rights issues, technology and trends. You will all have the opportunity to pick out what twenty-first century issue has in your mind a major impact on global society today. By the end of the course, the successful student will have a clearer picture of the world as it faces the challenges of a new century.

Your Professor

Kimberly D. S. Reiter, Ph.D., is associate professor of ancient and medieval history at Stetson University. Her scholarship focuses on the Western Roman Empire, specifically the Aquitaine Basin, and in the impact of Romanization in perceptions of the wilderness. Within her own field, she is interested in the differing perceptions of "Romanization" as a measurement of Roman involvement and agency, and has recently co-authored a textbook in Western Civilization. Reiter has had extensive experience designing and teaching courses in environmental history and environmental issues and has presented and published papers on the teaching of environmental issues from an interdisciplinary perspective. She is currently President of the Interdisciplinary Environmental Association (IEA). She is very active in student field projects as well, and directs the Stetson British Field Course on the Early English landscape. She is also advisor for the Stetson chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, the History honors society, and chairs the Stetson Undergraduate Research committee.

FSEM 100-58 (CRN 5412) Eastern Culture & the Media

How have Eastern philosophy, practices, and culture been introduced to North America during the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries? What about Asian pop culture, such as horror movies, Bollywood films and Japanese animation? In this course, topics will range from the religious and spiritual to the stuff of pop culture. We begin with the introduction of Buddhist philosophy and the martial arts in America, then move on to the more recent popularization of yoga, meditation, acupuncture and other holistic practices. Discussions will also touch upon the late-twentieth century introduction of Asian popular culture in America. What has been the role of media in helping Eastern philosophy, practice, and culture gain a greater acceptance in America? How have these subjects been depicted in movies, music, magazines and on TV? What about news coverage? What are the implications of treating Asian philosophy and spirituality as products? Finally, what is new on the horizon of Asian cultural exports?

Your Professor

Mario Rodriguez may have studied media and communication, but he has always had a fondness for Asian culture. Though his research focuses on social network privacy, his teaching and research interests are varied and include popular culture and visual culture. He has a strong interest in critical cultural studies and teaches a range of courses, including New Media & Privacy, Communication & Technology, Critical Studies in Mass Communication, Visual Communication, and Interpersonal Communication. Rodriguez hopes that by focusing on the role of media in exporting Asian culture he can raise students' cultural awareness and introduce them to the vast possibilities of globalization.

FSEM 100-59 (CRN 5451) Comics & Graphic Novels

Stories told in words and pictures go by many different names all around the world, such as comic strips, comic books, graphic novels, manga, bandes dessinées, fumetti, tebeos, comix, imagetexts, sequential art, and graphic narratives. Whatever they are called, comics and their influence are everywhere-on magazine racks, online, in literary journals, in museum galleries, and on movie screens. They have been used to tell the simplest of jokes, to create the wildest fantasy worlds, and to explore the depths of the most profound human experiences. This course will examine the art form that the French call "The 9th Art" in order to: Examine how words and pictures combine to make meanings; Survey a variety of texts from different times and places; Investigate where comics have come from, where they are now, and where they might go in the future. We will work together on reading visual/verbal texts closely, on writing analytically, and on finding ideas and presenting them in class. Students will have the opportunity to design a creative project in which they make their own comic or create a work of art about comics.

Your Professor

Joseph "Rusty" Witek, professor of humanities, has been teaching English and Humanities courses at Stetson University since 1989. He is known as one of the first academics in the United States to focus on comics as an art form, making Stetson one of the first universities to offer regularly scheduled courses on comics and graphic novels. He has published books and articles on such topics as comics criticism and theory, autobiography and history in comics, war comics, 9/11 in comics, and the fact that Donald Duck can't fly. He is presently working on a book project that examines some of the worst comics ever published.

FSEM 100-60 (CRN 5452) American Pop Art

British artist Richard Hamilton defined Pop Art as "popular (designed for a mass audience); transient (short-term solution); expendable (easily forgotten); low cost; mass produced. Young (aimed at youth); witty; sexy' gimmicky; glamorous; big business." This course will consider these diverse and often conflicting aspects of Pop Art as they continue to influence contemporary artistic practice. Pop Art was created and popularized in the 1950-60s by young artists, critics, dealers, and collectors in England and the United States. Pop artists made mass culture their predominant subject matter and source material. Appropriating images and objects such as advertisements, celebrity icons, cartoons, common household items, fast food, and mass-media imagery from television, magazines, and newspapers these artists shattered the existing divide between commercial and fine art. The course will examine the rise and influence of Pop art through the works of the most important artists of the era. The central objective of this course is to understand how they redefined what it meant to be an artist in contemporary culture, introducing celebrity logic into artistic production. This course includes a weekly success lab.

Your Professor

Katya Kudryavtseva, Ph.D., assistant professor of art history at Stetson University. She specializes in art of the twentieth century, and her research focuses on the intersecting trajectories of art history, politics, law, and business and their role in the development of the canon of modern and contemporary art. Her teaching interests include historiography and canon formation; collecting and display; aesthetic and critical theory of modern and contemporary art; and the impact of art institutions and the art market on the art historical discourse. Her book, The Making of Kazimir Malevich's Black Square, is under contract with NLO publishing house (Moscow, Russia) and will come out in 2012.

FSEM 100-61 (CRN 5457) Asian History in the Cinema

Have you ever watched a film which depicts a major historical event and asked yourself what really happened? Are you a fan of Jet Li or have you wondered what it was like to be a samurai? If you are curious about any of these issues and or some aspect of Asian culture or history, consider taking this course. This course will examine films about Asia's past, including both Asian and Western blockbusters. It will analyze how filmmakers have influenced both Western and Asian perceptions of Asia's past by using artistic license while portraying important events and personalities. Case studies for this fall 2014 semester will include a recent samurai blockbuster based on a popular manga, one of the highest-grossing South Korean films of all time, an award-winning Chinese film about an event which has been called "the forgotten Holocaust of World War II," and a film which set the record for most number of nominations in Hong Kong Film Awards history.

Your Professor

Leander Seah, Ph.D., teaches East Asian history, Southeast Asian history, and modern world history at Stetson. In terms of research, as an ethnic Chinese citizen of Singapore who lives in the United States, he is particularly interested in migration and diasporas, maritime China and maritime Southeast Asia, modern China, modern Japan, and transnational and world history. He has published journal articles, has presented his work at conferences in the United States, Singapore, Hong Kong and mainland China, and is currently revising a book manuscript based on his doctoral dissertation, "Conceptualizing the Chinese World: Jinan University, Nanyang Migrants, and Trans-Regionalism, 1900-1941." His accolades include seventeen fellowships, research grants and awards from the Association for Asian Studies, the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, the Center for Chinese Studies in Taiwan, the National Library Board of Singapore, the National University of Singapore, the University of Pennsylvania, and Stetson University. Funding from many of these sources has enabled him to carry out research in Hong Kong, mainland China, Taiwan, Singapore, and the United States. His current personal interests include traveling, supporting Liverpool Football Club (soccer) and the Philadelphia Phillies, enjoying Asian movies and Asian cuisine, reading historical fiction, and collecting academic books.

FSEM 100-63 (CRN 5024) Discussions of Capitalism

This writing-intensive and critical-thinking course will focus on the development of capitalism as a form of economic activity. The course will also feature discussions of creativity and innovation as cornerstones for modern business practices. Required reading for the course includes Edward de Bono's Six Thinking Hats, which guide the discussion of capitalism and American business. The other primary reading for the course is Joyce Appleby's The Relentless Revolution: A History of Capitalism.

Your Professor

Scott Jones, Ph.D., is associate professor of marketing in the School of Business Administration. Jones earned his Ph.D. at the University of Oregon. He has published more than 25 intellectual contributions including manuscripts in the Journal of Service Research, Journal of Public Policy and Marketing, Journal of Internet Commerce, and Sport Marketing Quarterly. Broadly, his research focuses on the relationship between consumers and brands. Jones teaches courses in Stetson's First Year Seminar program, sport marketing as well as other core marketing requirements including Marketplace and Consumers. He is the advisor for Stetson's American Marketing Association.

FSEM 100-67 (CRN 5030) Life at the Intersection: Examining the Collision of Ideas, Innovations, and Culture

From Galileo to Marie Curie to Steve Jobs, great innovators have stood in the intersection of ideas, technology, and culture. In this course, we will examine these intersections and the great innovators and innovations that have made our world; we will discuss how ideas and innovations come together in often-explosive ways. We will read, study, and discuss texts such as The Medici Effect, writings of Malcolm Gladwell, and Creating Innovators: The Making of Young People Who Will Change the World. Through our study and discussion, we will challenge ourselves to see beyond our own current expertise and to actively approach new situations, including the first year in college, in creative and game-changing ways.

Your Professor

John Tichenor is associate professor in the decision and information sciences department in the School of Business Administration. He has worn lots of Stetson hats over seventeen years, teaching statistics courses, serving as director of institutional research, university registrar and occasional drummer in local rock and jazz bands (you can currently hear him in the DaVinci Jazz Experiment). His academic background includes a B.A. and M.A. from Baylor University and a Ph.D. in sociology from Florida State University. Tichenor and his family enjoy traveling and often participate in Stetson University's study abroad program in Innsbruck, Austria.

FSEM100-70 (CRN 5263) Finance in Film

The class will examine films with finance-related themes. The course will review various movies such as: comedy classic Trading Places, which deals extensively with the futures markets; Wall Street, which portray the rampant deal-making of the go-go Eighties; Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, which exposes the greed and unethical behavior behind one of the biggest accounting scandals in U.S. history; and Too Big to Fail, which documents the early days of the financial crisis and the government's response to a crumbling financial sector. In the process, we will cover finance and economics from an academic standpoint to better understand the concepts dealt with in the films.

Your Professor

Giovanni Fernandez, assistant professor of finance at Stetson University, was born in Miami to Cuban-American parents, both of whom had previously majored in finance. Fernandez' father, a former professor and financial advisor, inspired him to follow in his footsteps and pursue a career in the field. Giovanni enjoys tying in theory in finance with real-world application from his experience as a financial advisor. Courses such as Personal Finance and Risk Management and Insurance allow him to prepare students for what is expected of them if they choose to pursue a career in financial advising. Giovanni received his Ph.D. in Finance from Florida International University, and his areas of research are investment performance and corporate bankruptcy prediction.

FSEM 100-71 (CRN 5267) Building Wealth and the Lifestyle You Desire in Both Good and Bad Economic Times

Your economic future will be decided partially by choices you make individually and partially by events and circumstances that you have no control over. This course is designed to help you identify and choose a course of action related to your future assets and liabilities so that you can become monetarily successful in life. The course is also designed to recognize and adjust to the behavioral habits of 300 million people walking in tandem in a capitalistic society. My purpose is to teach you, the student, how to build your economic success and to do so in an ethical manner.

Your Professor

Richard Copeland is associate professor in the School of Business Administration. He received his J.D. from the University of Florida in 1972, and his LL.M. from the University of Miami in 1973, majoring in tax. For 36 years he has been an associate professor at Stetson University. Copeland has extensive experience in the areas of taxation and estate planning and for 39 years has had his own law practice specializing in the purchase and sale of businesses, probate, guardianship, sale of real estate, and adoptions. He is an active speaker in the Florida Bar Association, Florida Institute of CPAs, at estate planning meetings for numerous churches, Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, insurance companies, and others.

FSEM 100-72 (CRN 5470) What Happens When the Fat Lady Sings? An Introduction to the Wild, Wonderful, Wacky World of Opera

Originating at the dawn of the seventeenth century in late Renaissance Italy, opera is alive and well today- as entertainment, as drama through music, as social and political commentary, as celebration of historical events, as a psychological examination of humanity- in short, as a mirror of society. This course is designed for the opera novice- any student interested in the art form of opera and wishing to learn about the myriad elements that combine to produce this fascinating and complex combination of music, theater, and visual art. Topics for classes include learning about voice types, operatic roles, and the production elements involved in the art form, such as staging, conducting, set construction, costuming, and theater design, with particular emphasis on opera's connection to and impact on society and culture. Students will meet featured guests from the professional opera world, and the class will make at least two field trips to view opera in live performance as well as in the "Live from the Met" broadcast series at a local theater. No musicianship skills, such as singing or reading music, are required.

No musical training is required to fully participate in course activities. The course is open to non-music majors only.

Your Professor

Jane Christeson received a degree in piano performance from the University of Alabama before receiving a Graduate Council Fellowship to complete a master of music degree in vocal performance with Edward White as her principal teacher. Since then she has had a varied career in opera, music theater, oratorio and recital work, performing over forty roles with companies and orchestras around the United States. Twice a winner of the District Metropolitan Opera Council Auditions, she has appeared with Opera Grand Rapids, Cincinnati Opera, Whitewater Opera and Palm Beach Opera, and has performed as soloist with the Alabama Symphony, Pomereggio Musicale, and many other orchestras. She has been heard on National Public Radio as a soloist with the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, Vocal Arts Ensemble and the Cincinnati Opera, and has appeared many times locally with Seaside Music Theater and Orlando Opera in both main stage productions and educational tours.

Christeson has done additional vocal study in Freiburg, Germany with Horst Günter, in London with Maestro James Lockhart and in New York with David Jones, and also received a Graduate Performance Certificate from the University of South Florida with Annetta Monroe. Christeson recently performed as soloist with combined choruses from Brevard County in a tour of the Scandinavian countries, and continues to appear frequently in the Central Florida area as an oratorio soloist; her most recent appearance in Orlando was in Bach's Mass in B minor with the Orlando Chorale and members of the Orlando Philharmonic. As a professor at Stetson University, Christeson maintains a voice studio and teaches courses in Song and Opera Literature. In February 2012 she traveled to Venezuela to meet Maestro Inocente Carreno in preparation for recording his art songs, which she is also preparing for publication. She has recently performed with the Stetson Opera Theatre at the Varna International Festival in Bulgaria in Puccini's "Gianni Schicchi" and "Suor Angelica," and in Central Florida Beethoven's Ninth Symphony as well as Handel's "Messiah"in a range of venues. She recently released "Liebestreu," an album of songs and vocal chamber music of Johannes Brahms, available through Clear Note Studios, where she also is featured in recordings of the Durufle Requiem and Janacek's "The Diary of One Who Vanished."

FSEM 100-82 (CRN 6125) The First Americans: American Indians in Fiction, Film and Fact

This first-year seminar looks at literature and film to gain insight into the history of selected American Indian tribes and their enduring cultures. We will confront the brutal treatment of tribal nations, through broken treaties, massacres, and programs of resettlement and re-education, but we will also see what has endured, even flourished into the twenty-first century. Our readings will range from early documents (such as Columbus's letter on his 'discovery' of people he called Indians and Jefferson's Declaration of Independence) to fiction and memoirs by contemporary Native Americans such as Sherman Alexie, Louise Erdrich, and David Treurer. We'll also watch a series of narrative and documentary films to consider the development of mythological images of Indians as well as resistance, especially by contemporary Native American filmmakers, to such stereotypes as the Vanishing Indian, the Savage Warrior, or the Ecological Indian. A field trip to St. Augustine will allow us to think about early Spanish contact and also about American policies that resulted in leaders of western tribes being transported to and imprisoned at the Castillo, far from their homelands, in the late nineteenth century. Active participation in discussions will be important, and there will be regular expectations for writing, including journal entries, brief position papers to start seminar discussions, and a short but richly researched essay. We'll also collaborate on a webpage with materials for other students interested in learning more about American Indian history and literature. Our FSEM supports Stetson's commitment to developing informed values of citizenship and could lead to further study of social justice issues though a wide range of majors and community engagement experiences.

Your Professor

Grady Ballenger, professor of English, has long been interested in American literature and its representation of national ideals such as equality, justice under the law, and unlimited individual self-creation. After college, he joined Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA), editing a community newsletter and organizing tenants' unions, then returned to study, earning a master's at Columbia and a Ph.D. in American Literature at UNC, where he also taught film studies. Before coming to Stetson in 1998 to serve as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, he helped to create Louisiana's state residential honors high school and its public liberal arts honors college. He looks forward to working with First Years in this seminar, which is being offered at a time of impressive work by American Indian writers and filmmakers and exactly 500 years after Ponce de Leon landed nearby to claim La Florida's land and first peoples for Spain.

FSEM 100-83 (CRN 6126) The Spirit of Travel

What's the relationship between travel and spirit? Pilgrimages have long been a part of religious and cultural traditions. Consider, for example, the centuries of trips to the Holy Land, Mecca, Bodh Gaya, Lourdes, and Santiago. Think about secular pilgrimages to places like the Baseball Hall of Fame, the Vietnam War Memorial, or Graceland. Besides pilgrimages to one specific place, many travelers have more free-ranging objectives: for example, the Australian walkabout or even the post-college rite of backpacking around Europe. Why is travel such a catalyst for spiritual growth? In this course, we'll focus on the ways in which travel--especially unpredictable travel outside one's comfort zone--has an effect on the spirit. We'll read books like Siddhartha, A Razor's Edge, The Art of Travel, and The Little Prince, and we'll watch movies like The Way and Touching the Void, all as jumping-off spots for discussions and writings about the spiritual transformations of travel. This course includes a weekly success lab.

Your Professor

Nancy Barber has been a lecturer at Stetson University since 1998. She majored in political science at Davidson College, then worked as a journalist before getting an M.A. in English at Stetson, and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing at the University of Florida. Barber specializes in creative nonfiction. Among her other writings, she published an essay on human cannonballs in Raritan Quarterly in 2006 and co-wrote Meals Worth Stopping for in Florida: Local Restaurants within 10 Miles of the Interstate, published by Globe Pequot Press in 2008. She is also a veteran of both sacred and secular pilgrimages.

FSEM 100-88 (CRN 6227) Style & the Self

Everyone begins the day by putting on clothes, but not everyone thinks about their choices. We thus begin the course with three central questions: Looking at history and culture, how have value and meaning - personal, cultural, economic -- been inscribed in clothes? How does what we wear reflect our selves? What are the true costs of fashion? As we seek to answer these questions, we'll begin with Anne Hollander's work Seeing Through Clothes, which provides an overview of Western representations of fashion and the body, and build a collaborative folder of images that reflect various style continuums. Next we'll talk about role-playing and authenticity, looking at the 1950s film Funny Face and a 1670s English comedy The Man of Mode. Then we'll investigate historical style movements and their significance: the 1940s Los Angeles "zoot suiters"; the 1960s British mods; 1980s drag balls. We'll end the class with research into some of the business and ethics of current fashion and selling. Assignments will include a presentation on Stetson style, short responses, three longer essays, and to pull everything together, a style credo as part of a final portfolio.

Your Professor

Lori Snook, Ph.D., is an associate professor of English, specializing in drama. She began as a scholar of English Restoration drama, the plays of which are stylish in content and form, and she has given conference papers on the figure of the dandy.

FSEM 100-89 (CRN 6254) Our Sonic World

In 1877, Edison unleashed his phonograph on the world to much fanfare and went on to invent an industry based on the mass consumption of sound recordings. While the recording industry made sound into a thing to be purchased and collected, industrialization and mechanization continued to create an increasingly noisy environment. Not only has our relationship to and experience of sound changed drastically since Edison's time, but the pace of change is exponentially faster. Some iconic sounds like dot matrix printers and dial-up modems come into the world and leave it in a matter of years. Technology such as iPods and the internet have also enabled the collection and distribution of sound on scales that likely would have been unimaginable to Edison. This course will broadly examine both the production and consumption of sound in modern society. Topics will include the impact of changing technologies, methods and behaviors of sound collecting, the effect of sound on both individuals and groups, and the role of artists and scholars in engaging with our sonic world. This course includes a weekly success lab.

Your Professor

Nathan Wolek, Ph.D., is an audio artist and researcher whose work encompasses advanced signal processing techniques, multimedia performance, and electronic music history. He enjoys collecting sounds during his various travels and using them as material for making art. In Fall 2012, he was named a Fulbright scholar and spent six months living and conducting research in Bergen, Norway. He teaches courses in Audio Recording and Production and Computer Music as part of the Digital Arts program and is also chair of the Creative Arts department.

FSEM 100-90 (CRN 6293) Play Ball: An Interdisciplinary Analysis of Intercollegiate Athletics' Role in the University

This course provides an interdisciplinary analysis of the role intercollegiate athletics plays within the university. No matter your major course of study, this course will investigate intercollegiate athletics through a wide variety of lenses (psychological, sociological, financial, ethical, communications, commercial, marketing, and business) to better understand the relationship between intercollegiate athletics and the university. Together we will explore the history of college athletics and how its' place within institutions of higher education has evolved over the last 100 years.

Your Professor

Matt Wilson, Ph.D., is the director of the Sport Management Program and an assistant professor at Stetson University. A former college and professional baseball player, Wilson completed his doctoral work at the University of Georgia and has taught in higher education since 1998. Wilson's research areas are focused on issues in intercollegiate athletics and professional athlete transition/development. Wilson also has several years of practical sport management work experience having worked for eight years in intercollegiate athletics, the 1996 Summer Olympic Games, Augusta National Golf Club.

FSEM 100-91 (CRN 6334) Mozart, Movies, and Musicology

Whether composers of film music have classical music training (such as John Williams at Juilliard) or just intuitively create music as they grow up (like Hans Zimmer who attached a chainsaw to a piano when he was young), all are influenced by classical music and reckon with classical music techniques to get the effects they want in movies. Mozart was one of the greatest composers of all time, and his music sits chronologically in the middle of the years we will take as a frame of reference for all Western music--that is, the music through which all film composers trace their lineage. This course will trace the evolution of western music from 1500 to the present, to help students better understand the music they hear in general, but especially in movies. As beginner musicologists, students will discuss, write, research, and speak about film music, classical music, and any music they bring to the discussion based on their experiences and areas of interest.

No musical training is required to fully participate in course activities. The course is open to non-music majors only.

Your Professor

Andrew Larson, Ph.D., is associate professor of choral studies and serves as associate director of choral activities. Larson has studied with conductors, composers, and scholars such as Will Kesling, Ronald Staheli, Mack Wilberg, Fred Stoltzfus, and Chester Alwes. He has written for the Choral Journal, and is in frequent demand as a clinician, lecturer, and adjudicator. His compositions, arrangements, and orchestrations have been performed by numerous high school and collegiate ensembles from many states. The Vancouver Symphony, the Chicago Children's Chorus, the Utah Valley Choral Society, USU Chamber Singers, the Utah Chamber Artists, and Musica Reservata have all performed his works. His works have been featured in choral reading sessions around the U.S. His published works appear with Santa Barbara Music under the Jo-Michael Scheibe series, with Hinshaw Music, and under the Lorenz label. His dissertation pioneered research on the choral music of Eric Whitacre and was nominated for the Julius Hereford national prize for dissertations in musicology. It has been referenced in numerous other student papers on the composer in the past seven years.

FSEM 100-94 (CRN 6523) Global Flash Points

Somalia... Palestine... Tibet ... Cuba... Myanmar... human trafficking... the Arab Spring. Politics and greed mingle with economics, history and culture, seeping into 21st century life to form deep-seated societal rifts that periodically erupt like dormant volcanos. In this course, students will discuss and debate some of the major global and regional conflicts, and wrestle with the prospects of whether potential solutions should inspire hope or whether futility and skepticism are the only realistic outcomes.

Your Professor

William Andrews, Ph.D., is chairman of the Department of International Business at Stetson University and has over 17 years of experience on various company boards including roles as board chairman. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Georgia in strategic management and his Master of International Management (M.I.M.) from the Thunderbird School of Global Management. He has taught or lectured in 9 countries and led student trips to Spain, Cuba , and Panama. In addition, he earned his Certified Financial Manager designation with the Institute of Management Accountants and his Certified Mergers and Acquisitions Advisor certification with the Alliance of Mergers and Acquisition Advisors. He is an active member of the Florida Venture Forum -- the South's largest association of venture capitalists.

FSEM 100-95 (CRN 6527) Heavy Metal Music

With their sludgy sound and overtones of doom, Black Sabbath is widely considered to be the first heavy metal band, but heavy metal can trace its roots back to the blues of the American South and to noted classical composers like Beethoven. Heavy metal has a fascinating history and is much more than a genre of music -- it is an attitude, a way of life for its listeners and a worldwide subculture. A subculture is a subset of individuals who interact regularly with one another, identify themselves as a distinct group within society's larger culture, and routinely take action on the basis of collective understandings unique to the group. Subcultures possess their own values and problems, yet share many of the same values and problems of the larger culture. This class will examine the origins and history of heavy metal, the creation of a heavy metal identity, and will analyze and critically critique sexism, racism, homophobia and the use of religion in the subculture.

Your Professor

Jason Martin received his B.A. and M.A. from the University of South Florida and his Ed.D. from the University of Central Florida. He currently serves as the Head of Public Services in the duPont-Ball Library and researches and publishes in the areas of academic library leadership and organizational culture. He started listening to heavy metal at a young age and is a lifelong fan of the music.

FSEM 100-96 (CRN 6577) The Art of Listening to Music

For people who don't have a background in music, going to a classical concert may be unfamiliar, boring or even intimidating. In "The Art of Listening to Music", students will learn to increase the enjoyment of classical music, particularly orchestral masterpieces, through intelligent listening. You will learn how to write about music, talk to professional musicians, hear them with perform on their instruments, and discuss the main elements of music: rhythm, pitch, melody, and tone.

No musical training is required to fully participate in course activities. The course is open to non-music majors only.

Your Professor

A native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, cellist David Bjella has a multi-faceted career as a teacher, chamber musician, orchestral player and soloist. He is professor of cello at Stetson University as well as co-principal of the IRIS Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Michael Stern and a member of the Inman Piano Trio represented by Phillip Truckenbrod. He was one of the featured IRIS chamber musicians for the Naxos-released CD "Music of Stephen Hartke" which was chosen as a Top Ten Classical Recording of 2003. Bjella has been principal cellist of the Florida Symphony, Orlando Philharmonic, Southwest Florida Symphony and the Annapolis Symphony.

FSEM 100-97 (CRN 6578) Call of (civic) Duty: Video Games in Society

From Pong to Grand Theft Auto 5, this course will examine how video games have become a part of our society over the last 40 years. Video games have gone from primitive pixels on the screen to complex narrative devices. During that time they have been hailed as everything from the epitome of art to purveyors of violence and depravity. Portrayals of violence, sex, gender and race will be considered as they appear in video games. So too will the issue of moral panics and how society can sometimes overreact, even in absurd ways, to new media. This course will examine how society reacts to video games and other new media and, in turn, how video games have shaped society.

Your Professor

Chris Ferguson is department chair of psychology and has extensively studied the impact of video games on human behavior. He participated in discussions about video game effects hosted by Vice President Biden and the Centers for Disease Control in the wake of the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting. He has published numerous research articles, particularly on the topic of video game violence, but also on moral panics and how video games have sometimes been (mainly falsely) accused of causing serious societal ills. He enjoys the occasional game of Bioshock himself but mainly plays Lego games with his 10-year-old son and can only watch with befuddlement as his beautiful wife obsesses over Mahjong.

FSEM 100-98 (CRN 6579) Island of Identity: Overseas France from the South Pacific, the Caribbean, to the Indian Ocean

From the Broadway musical South Pacific to the escape from Devil's Island in Papillon, to Paul Gaugin's paintings of Tahitian women, to the sugar cane plantations and rum distilleries that haunt Haiti and Martinique, to the story of how Madagascar and Reunion Island introduced vanilla to the world, we will trace French exploratory and colonizing encounters across the world's oceans. We will analyze this in terms of images (films, graphic novels, photography, and advertising) and food-ways (tastes, flavors, and transmission of spices, dishes and drinks), thinking about islands as points of contact and exchange between cultures, and how these islands have (re)shaped France as much as it shaped them.

Your Professor

Robert Watson is visiting assistant professor in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures. He received his Ph.D. in French from Vanderbilt University and had lived and done research in Quebec, France, Morocco, and Tunisia. His research focuses on multilingual writers and filmmakers working in the former French colonial world, especially North Africa and the Middle East. His approach is interdisciplinary and focuses on everyday life and material culture (including food, drink, architecture, music, art, and language). He has published several articles on the Jewish communities of North Africa and how they understand the different facets of their identity. He loves eating locally, being outdoors and especially on the water, listening to great music live, and discovering new ways of seeing the world through travel.

FSEM 100-100 (CRN# 6588) Representations of War

Many of us have no direct experience with war. We see videos and pictures of it on the internet, hear about it on the radio, perhaps even know someone who has fought in one. Yet at this very moment, wars are being waged that comprise the everyday reality of a surprising number of people. War challenges -- and destroys -- everything we think we know about humanity and the world. It can also be presented in a variety of ways: through literature, history, art, film, and other visual media, to name just a few. This seminar examines many of the ways in which war has been represented historically, from the French invasion of Russia in 1812, to twentieth-century civil wars in Africa, to revolutions in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Throughout the course, students will be asked to reflect not only on how a particular conflict is represented, but also on the possible motivations behind the representation.

Your Professor

David Houston attended Stetson as an undergraduate (class of 2005) and is now completing his Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He studies primarily Russian poetry, but has secondary interests in Jewish literature and Marxist thought. At Stetson, he is a visiting lecturer in English and Modern Languages.

FSEM 100-101 (CRN 6589) A Curious & Dangerous Power: Making Meaning Through Story

According to Ursula LeGuin, "There have been great societies that did not use the wheel, but there have been no societies that did not tell stories." Indeed, stories have been used throughout history, across societies and cultures, to preserve the past, to build community, and to make meaning of daily life. This course will begin with an overview of the role of the story through history, but will primarily focus on the functions of storytelling in our lives today. From urban legends to social media to reality television, we will examine the connection between the stories we tell and our identities, investigating the way that stories can both reinforce and dismantle cultural norms. Students taking this course should expect to engage in the telling, investigating and sharing of stories -- both oral and written -- and should be prepared to actively engage as a member of an academic community, with particular emphasis on research, revision, and writing for a wide audience.

Your Professor

Maggie Herb, who learned at her father's knee to never let the truth stand in the way of a good story, is the director of the Stetson University Writing Center and a lecturer in the English department. She holds a dual B.A. in English and Journalism from Penn State University, an M.A. in English from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and she is currently completing her Ph.D. in Composition and TESOL at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, her dissertation focusing on the storying of writing center work. She is a contributor to Before and After the Tutorial: Writing Centers and Institutional Relationships (Hampton Press, 2011). Aside from her husband and her dog, her favorite thing in the world is helping students to become better, more confident writers.

FSEM 100-102 (CRN 6591) Ghost Stories: East & West

A few buildings at Stetson University are said to be haunted, most notably Elizabeth Hall and the remnants of Hulley Tower. Central Florida abounds in ghost stories overall and such tales can be found all over the world. Students may be familiar with the misty apparitions that glide through walls or walk noisily upstairs in the middle of the night, but what about the life-sucking powers of Chinese fox spirits, the gory appetites of Tibetan flesh-eating demons, or the unrelenting stalking of Japanese vengeance ghosts? This course will introduce students to both classic examples of Western ghost stories and gothic tales as well as folklore and fictional accounts from India, Tibet, China, and Japan. Western examples will include the writings of Edgar Allan Poe, M.R. James, and H.P. Lovecraft, while eastern stories will include Indian tales by Rudyard Kipling, Pu Songling's "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio," and the Japanese "Tales of Moonlight and Rain" by Akinari Ueda. Students will read these stories and compare and contrast how ghosts and otherworldly spirits are portrayed between cultures. Assignments will also focus on how these stories reflect the societies in which they were written and include viewings of popular Chinese and Japanese horror films.

Your Professor

Christopher Bell received his B.A and M.A from Florida State University and his Ph.D. from the University of Virginia. His specialization is in Tibetan Buddhism, with a secondary concentration in Asian religions overall. He is particularly interested in Indian, Tibetan, and Chinese demonologies. He has presented papers and published articles on Tibetan deity cults, oracles, and divination. Prior to joining Stetson in the fall of 2013, he taught at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, conducted fieldwork in Tibet and India, and lived in the south of Turkey. He is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society.

The class will examine films with social justice-related themes; specifically prejudice, discrimination, and persecution related to Apartheid and the Holocaust. The course will review various movies such as: The Power of One, Skin, Conspiracy, Sophie's Choice, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, and Perlasca. We will discuss the issues and concepts related to prejudice and discrimination as represented in these films and cover social justice from an academic standpoint to better understand the concepts dealt with in the films. We will go beyond prejudice and discrimination to discuss the personal and social implications of diversity for both majority and minority group members. We will consider how historical, political, economic, and societal factors shape the way people think about and respond to diversity. Be prepared to be involved in thought-provoking class discussions.

Your Professor

Stuart Michelson is the Roland and Sarah George Professor of Finance. He teaches corporate finance and investments at the graduate and undergraduate levels. He was formerly Dean of the Stetson School of Business Administration (three years) and Director of the Executive M.B.A. program (four years). He is editor of the refereed academic journal Financial Services Review. He is a member of the editorial board of several scholarly journals, a board member of Financial Executives International, and a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors. He is a past president of the Academy of Financial Services, Financial Executives International (Central Florida) and the Academy of Business Education. Michelson has published over 50 refereed academic journal research articles. His current research areas include: behavioral finance, tax efficiency in retirement accounts, the use of alpha to increase portfolio returns, the use of technology in education, mutual funds, portfolio risk budgeting, and academic honesty. He received the School of Business Administration Professor of the Year award in 2009, Researcher of the Year for several years (2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007), and Outstanding Service Award in 2008. He received the Stetson University Hand Award for Outstanding Research in 2008.

This writing-intensive and critical thinking course will focus on innovation in the private and academic sectors and how such innovations shape the future of businesses and individuals. The course will feature innovations presented in TED Talks of the past and present as well as readings from various news sources on how companies are adopting these innovations. The course will focus largely on technology and topics will include drones, artificial intelligence, medical advancements, and engineering. The required text for this course is HBR's 10 Must Reads on Innovation.

Your Professor

Matthew Hurst, assistant professor of finance at Stetson University, earned a BA in economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Ph.D. in Finance from the University of Central Florida. His passions include investing, education, and innovation which he sees as three key components of success. Hurst's teaching areas include Real Estate, Banking, Corporate Finance, Investments, and Markets and Institutions. Professor Hurst enjoys traveling, culinary experiences, reading, and TedTalks.

FSEM 100-106 (CRN 6607) Here We are: Latinos and Latinidades in the U.S.

By the year 2050 the United States will have the largest Spanish-speaking population in the world. This interdisciplinary course will explore a wide range of Latina/o issues in the US, and its relationship to Latin America. As a class we will explore the complex and historically specific processes of identity construction among Latinos by examining the intersection of race, gender, socio-economic background, ethnicity, politics, citizenship, and 'national origins' (place and location). Throughout this course we will raise questions such as: What are the political differences and implications of calling oneself a "Latino" or a "Hispanic"? What is "Spanglish" and what does it tell us about processes of "assimilation"? Which elements unite and separate Latinos in the U.S? Students will actively engage with course material including artistic, historical, and literary representations of Latinos. We will also analyze popular culture, including television programs, political speeches, cartoons, and news reports. Students will bolster their classroom discussions with experiential learning opportunities on campus through La Casita Cultural Latina. In addition, students will collaborate with local organizations that cater to the Latino community, including the Farmworkers Association and schools (among others) in order to deepen their analysis and learn how Latina/o studies as a scholarly discipline can help us better understand the complexities and diversity of the lived experiences of Latinos in the United States.

*No Spanish is required to fully participate in this course.*

Your Professor

Pamela Cappas-Toro, Ph.D., earned a B.A. in Physical Education from the University of Puerto Rico (2001) and an M.A. in Spanish & Latin American Cultures from the University of Texas in San Antonio (2006). She earned a Ph.D. in Spanish from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2013) where she taught numerous ESL, Latina/o Studies, and Afro-Latin American workshops at the Education Justice Project in Danville Correctional Center, Illinois, a model college-in-prison program that demonstrates the positive impacts of higher education upon incarcerated people, their communities, and families. At Stetson University, Cappas-Toro teaches Spanish language, Latin American and Caribbean literatures and cultures, Latina/o studies, and Portuguese and Brazilian studies as well. Cappas-Toro's passion for social justice, community engagement and commitment to undergraduate education guide her efforts as the director of La Casita Cultural Latina at Stetson University. This program creates bridges between Stetson University's classrooms and our Latino/a communities. It prepares students to forge meaningful partnership with Latino/a communities, while promoting critical awareness about social justice issues and institutionalized disparities.

FSEM 100-107 (CRN 6630) SALSA: Multicultural Music of the Caribbean

Have you ever been to a Latino party? Have you ever listened to SALSA? Have you ever danced SALSA? What do you know about SALSA? This course explores the origin and history of one of the most versatile and popular musical genres of the 20th and 21st centuries. SALSA has transcended the borders of the Caribbean and the entire American continent to European and Asian latitudes because of its complex and irresistible rhythms, its attractive melodies, and its sensual and romantic lyrics. What is the musical power of SALSA? What is inside of this contagious rhythm that communes magically with the content of a text? How can performers improvise words and new phrases without departing from the main message? We will examine the different styles of SALSA in its various forms and its vocabulary and slangs to identify musical momentums, as well as to recognize their rhythmic structures and sounds. Will you dare to play it, dance it, and sing it?

Your Professor

Jesus Alfonzo is associate professor of music in viola, chamber music and music history at Stetson University, where he also conducts the Viola Consort and leads the Viola Clinic. He is also a member of the Bach Festival Orchestra in Winter Park, Fla. and has been a member of the Rios Reyna String Quartet since 1987. He received a diploma and post-graduate Diploma from the Juilliard School of Music and master of music and doctorate in musical arts degrees from the Michigan State University.

Alfonzo was born in Caracas, Venezuela. He is a founding member of the EL SISTEMA, The Venezuelan National System of Youth Orchestras, in which he had the opportunity to develop both his teaching and playing skills. In 1980 and 1981, he was principal violist of the Jeunesses Musicales World Orchestra. Later, he became principal violist of Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra, a position he held for sixteen years. In his vast orchestral experience he has worked with distinguished conductors and soloists including Claudio Abbado, Gustavo Dudamel, Leonard Bernstein, Jose Antonio Abreu, Maxim Schostakovitch,Kristoff Penderecki, Zubin Mehta, Serge Baudo, Carlos Chavez, Jerzy Semkov, Eduardo Mata, Claudio Arrau, Joseph Silverstein, Mstislav Rostropovich, PinchasZukerman, Yo-Yo Ma, Monserrat Caballe, Jean PierreRampal, Yehudi Menuhin and Henry Szeryng. He has taught in Venezuela at the Conservatorio de Musica Simon Bolivar, the Institute of Musical Studies and the ColegioEmil Friedman.

Since 1998, he has given an annual series of viola and string pedagogy master classes at EL SISTEMA in almost every state of Venezuela. In 2008, he wrote the First Catalogue for Latin American Viola Music.

FSEM 100-108 (CRN 6651) Entrepreneurship: What It Is and How To Do It

Entrepreneurs require a foundation in several key areas in order to be successful. This seminar will focus on multiple topics including; benefits/drawbacks of entrepreneurship. The class will look at social justice entrepreneurship as well as for profit ventures. The class will read at least three books about entrepreneurs and use the writing component to plan either a social justice or for profit venture. They will review movies and books to understand the foundations of entrepreneurship.

Your Professor

Rebecca Oliphant is associate professor of marketing in the School of Business Administration. She teaches International Marketing, Professional Selling and Marketing Decision Making. She has been a visiting professor in Kufstein, Austria where she teaches Consumer Behavior and Advertising. Oliphant has organized trips for Stetson students to such places as Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan, Austria, Germany, Italy and Hong Kong. Oliphant's research interests are international studies and career planning. Most recently she was selected as one of only 43 professors (5 businesses professors) from over 500 applications to sail on the MV Explorer as it sails on an around the world voyage. She graduated from California University of Pennsylvania with both her BA and her M.Ed and counts Disney and NBC as former employers. She received her Ph.D. in Organizational Communication and Management from The Florida State University. In 2010 Oliphant received the "Teacher of the Year Award" for the School of Business Administration.

Are you a crazed college football? Have you observed them painting their faces, tailgating for three days before a game, naming children and pets after their teams' mascots, and spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on travel, tickets, and anything embossed with their favorite teams' logos? Have you noticed them watching nothing but sports on TV and heard them calling sports talk radio shows to rant and rave? Would you like to figure out what makes them tick? Then this is the course for you! During the semester, we will examine how media fuels college football fandom in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Reasons for such deeply integrated, passionate Southern football fan bases and the educational, economic, political, and social results will be explored. Particular attention will be given to the newly developed SEC Network and the Paul Finebaum Show media.

Your Professor

Benjamin Goss, Ed.D., serves as the program director and an associate professor in Stetson University's sport business program. He credits the following quote for the development of his teaching philosophy: "It is better to know than to have, but it is better to understand than to know." A native of Natchez, Miss., he credits his parents and grandparents as his lifelong inspirations and considers John Paul Muczko to be his professional mentor. Goss has received the 40 Under 40 Outstanding Business Leader Award from the Springfield Business Journal, The International Society for Business Disciplines Teaching Excellence Award and the Dean's Distinguished Research Fellow Award. In addition, his research has garnered six awards. Goss co-founded the Journal of Sport Administration and Supervision, which was later absorbed by Sagamore Publishing and rebranded as theJournal of Applied Sport Management. He has consulted across the sport industry on projects for intercollegiate athletic properties, the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration and an economic development report for the Manning Passing Academy, the Thibodaux/Houma Bayou Region of Louisiana and the State of Louisiana. An avid writer, Goss was selected to serve as a guest editor on the J.W. Wiley and Sons book Zebras and Cheetahs.

FSEM 100-110 (CRN 6653) Paris: City of Lights, Life and Art

Paris might be the most visited city in the world. Whether you've spend some time there or hope to do so in the future, this seminar will give you the opportunity to explore the city, investigate more about her history, her famous landmarks, and some of the people who have lived and worked there. This study will include buildings like the Pantheon where many illustrious people are buried such as Victor Hugo and Marie Curie. We will also imagine a walk through the expansive and beautiful Pere Lachaise Cemetery where one can find tombstones of many more fascinating people including Frederic Chopin and Jim Morrison. We will explore colorful Montmatre, home and workplace for such artists as Degas, Renoir, Picasso, and Toulouse-Lautrec. We will research the building of the Arc de Triomphe at one end of the Champs Elysees, possibly the most famous avenue in the world, where German soldiers marched as they captured Paris in 1940 and where American soldiers made a similar march as they liberated France from Nazi rule near the end of World War II. Although there will be many more places and people to study, our semester would not be complete without learning about the engineer Gustave Eiffel and his famous tower. Having discovered Paris through literature, film, and classroom discussions, you will develop your own travel itinerary.

Your Professor

Soprano Llyod Linney teaches voice and French diction in the School of Music. She holds degrees from Furman University (B.A.) and The Florida State University (M.N. and D.M.). Linney loves the adventure of travel. She led two Stetson student trips to Italy as part of a course in Italian Culture, taught European Culture in the Stetson School of Business summer program in Innsbruck, Austria, and studied opera in Florence, Italy, and French song literature in Paris. Her love of Paris developed through four trips to that beautiful city in the past two years, each time absorbing more of its history and culture. Although music is her primary field, she learned to love history and biography as a child and then became fascinated with painting and sculpture as an adult after spending time in museums in Florence, Rome, Venice, Vienna, and Paris.

Today, more than ever before, globalization is part of our everyday local lives. We are linked to others on every continent:

socially through the media and telecommunications

culturally through movements of people

economically through trade

environmentally through sharing one planet

Politically through international relations and systems of regulation.

In a fast-changing and interdependent world, education can, and should, help people to meet the challenges they will confront now and in the future. Global Citizenship is essential in helping people rise to those challenges. In this course we will define global citizenship. We will discuss what steps need to be taken in order to prepare to become a global citizen. We will reflect on what it means to be an individual, what it means to be a citizen in your local community, and what it means to be a citizen in the world.

Your Professor

Savannah-Jane Griffin has over six years of higher education experience focusing on community engaged learning, campus-community partnership development, strength-based leadership and non-profit leadership. Savannah-Jane has facilitated community engaged learning and community capacity building training for faculty, students, and community partners nationally through Campus Compact, the Bonner Foundation, and the IMPACT National Conference. She is the founding Director of Stetson University's national award winning Center for Community Engagement and has led Stetson University's efforts in institutionalizing community engagement across the curriculum. She has a Master's in Business Administration with a focus in Management from Stetson University and is currently serving as a Bonner National Fellow. She is a current executive board member of the IMPACT National Conference and the Mainstreet DeLand Association. Savannah-Jane has a passion for empowering individuals to use their strengths to create positive change in our local and global communities.

HON 101-01 (CRN 5706) Enduring Questions (Honors Only)

"We should live sustainably!" seems a recent exhortation, but perhaps it is no more than a return to the literary tradition of Utopias. Are we not telling stories about an intentional community based on idealistic visions? How do such comparisons between sustainability and Utopias fail to account for contemporary realities? What are the dystopic aspects to sustainability? The primary work of this course will be to historically situate the sustainability movement within a historicity of Utopian and dystopian thought. What is the relationship between contemporary calls for sustainable living and the rich tradition of Utopian thought? In what ways can the Brundtland Report, which popularized the notion of sustainability, be seen as continuous with a corpus as heterogeneous as Plato's Republic, Augustine's The City of God, Marx's Manifesto of the Communist Party?

Your Professor

Joshua Rust is an assistant professor of philosophy and faculty advisor to both the Philosophy Club and Film Club. A committed fan of all things pop-cultural, he has recently co-authored an essay in the book True Blood and Philosophy. His wife gave birth to their first child recently, a big baby boy named Quinn.

HON 101-02 (CRN 5707) Enduring Questions (Honors Only)

"We should live sustainably!" seems a recent exhortation, but perhaps it is no more than a return to the literary tradition of Utopias. Are we not telling stories about an intentional community based on idealistic visions? How do such comparisons between sustainability and Utopias fail to account for contemporary realities? What are the dystopic aspects to sustainability? The primary work of this course will be to historically situate the sustainability movement within a historicity of Utopian and dystopian thought. What is the relationship between contemporary calls for sustainable living and the rich tradition of Utopian thought? In what ways can the Brundtland Report, which popularized the notion of sustainability, be seen as continuous with a corpus as heterogeneous as Plato's Republic, Augustine's The City of God, Marx's Manifesto of the Communist Party?

Your Professor

Tony Abbott is a Geographer and Political Ecologist. Research foci include agricultural biodiversity, clean energy, greenhouse gas and other environmental policy, and sustainability science with a longstanding regional interest in the Americas, especially Ecuador.

HON 101-03 (CRN 5708) Enduring Questions (Honors Only)

"We should live sustainably!" seems a recent exhortation, but perhaps it is no more than a return to the literary tradition of Utopias. Are we not telling stories about an intentional community based on idealistic visions? How do such comparisons between sustainability and Utopias fail to account for contemporary realities? What are the dystopic aspects to sustainability? The primary work of this course will be to historically situate the sustainability movement within a historicity of Utopian and dystopian thought. What is the relationship between contemporary calls for sustainable living and the rich tradition of Utopian thought? In what ways can the Brundtland Report, which popularized the notion of sustainability, be seen as continuous with a corpus as heterogeneous as Plato's Republic, Augustine's The City of God, Marx's Manifesto of the Communist Party?

Your Professor

Karen Cole directs the Gillespie Museum, Stetson's Earth Science Museum in a Natural Setting. She earned her Ph.D. in literature from the University of Illinois and served as associate professor of humanities and Social Thought at the Louisiana Scholars' College at Northwestern State University in Louisiana. She has taught courses on environmental literature and gender studies, and has published on women's work in landscape design.